Wildbirds in the Vicinity of Valentine During November-December 2018

The last two months of 2018 brought the typical variety of wildbirds at Valentine in north-central Nebraska. Weather was highly variable with many periods of snow-covered ground.

These are some details associated with notable observations:

¶ Canada Goose: the greatest number ever seen in the vicinity was associated with the flight of many flocks on December 20th. There was ample open water water with roost habitat at the Valentine Mill Pond, with others birds going easterly or southeasterly to other nearby roost sites, including Potters Pond along the county road to Berry Bridge and others most likely to the Niobrara River roost site near Borman Bridge WMA, after they have returned from foraging grounds to the north. This species will be prominent in area skies through the first weeks of 2019.

¶ Cackling Goose: only a very few seen despite checking flocks numerous times for this more diminutive sized goose which can also be readily identified by its notably different call.

¶ Trumpeter Swan: the single bird and then two swans eventually left for some place more suitable.

¶ Wood Duck: notably reduced in numbers this year.

¶ Gadwall and Mallard: prefer the marshy area at the western extent of the mill pond where there are cattails and shallow waters which mean it is a wetland. The Mallard also like to forage along Minnechaduza Creek below the dam.

¶ The families flock of Wild Turkey were regular daily visitors until the end of December. The group included a female with five young and another female with a single youngster. They certainly had it figured out how to seeds to eat, especially the blackbird seeds. They arrive soon after sunrise, eat their fill and then go wander around nearby. Once they recognized the squeaky door associated with more of the seed mix have been provided, they would return again. Then they would wander around the nearby hills and then return late in the afternoon and eat more of what had been spread for the smaller birds. This was the hierarchy: deer would use a leg to get rid of any turkey ... turkeys would chase away the Eurasian collared dove if they were around ... then the juncos and finchs would get along. The juncos can almost be compared to feathered mice and they sccury around eating.

¶ Rock Dove: pigeons most typically occur at the Valentine Livestock Market and westward from there to near the intersection of Highway 83 and Highway 20.

¶ Eurasian Collared Dove: many arrived late in the season and were sometimes very common as they gathered without interspecies strife and ate in their manner. There was more than one grand bird day when the pioneer doves flew and landed where the seeds where, and then other mates then did the same. Perhaps these birds left the city environs because of the bird roost disrupters placed prominently at electrical power substations. They are not pigeons despite what a city electrical worker may convey.

¶ Great Horned Owl: a regularly enjoyed visitor as heard on several nights.

¶ Woodpeckers: three species regularly seen while the Red-bellied Woodpecker is less regular in its occurrence.

¶ American Crow: a few spend the winter here. Three of them actually visited the bird seed source on a couple of days to determine what the many other birds were eating. They then went back to their norm of foraging.

¶ Cedar Waxwing: permanent residents that apparently roam around a lot for find suitable food.

¶ Brown Creeper: more prevalent than expected since there are a very few Valentine residents obvious enough to realize that a so subtle sound heard where there are tree, is its winter song as it feeds on tree bark.

¶ Common Starling: usually limited to interurban spaces, especially the livestock market, though they do occasionally get together amidst the tree-scape north of the mill pond.

¶ American Robin: ubiquitous in their appreciation of tree seeds.

¶ House Sparrow: this small bird of birddom usually resides amidst nooks and crannies in Valentine, but when cold weather arrives, hey gather at spots where shrubby vegetation provides cover where they can elude avian predators.

¶ Red-winged Blackbird: a few lingered late in the season, probably because they could find something to eat at the seed buffet.

¶ Rusty Blackbird: based upon a review of multiple records for Cherry County, this late November and through December is a very distinctive set of occurrence records. The numbers are indicative. A small group were the first arrivals at the seed buffet and in the horse pen outside my north window. Their arrival was a great surprise, because this species has been reported so rarely. My gaze became fixed on this sort of bird, and my effort of looking was a success. The birds survived into December, and a hearty bunch spent Christmas at my place, then the bunch of four continued to linger until the last day of the year. Didn't have any turkey side dressing for them but they were seen vibrantly feeding on seeds provided in various mixes readily available at local businesses.

¶ Harris's Sparrow: one of the most beautiful visitors during the two months considered, especially during November.

¶ Dark-eyed Junco: daily bird friends about the shack, at the seed and elsewhere including the park and feeders within Valentine. They can get along well until one gets to close to another one and with a flutter of wings the interloper is urged to move a short distance away. With snow on the last day of the year, the seed was getting covered so an alternative was needed to make seed readily available. The steps to the porch were swept and ample seed was provided there to make it easier to reach. This mites can be especially frenetic on days when ongoing snows continue to obscure edible food.

¶ Northern Cardinal: a permanent resident but not always obvious with its color and vivacious expression known to be at the top of some peoples list of one particular bird or two to see and enjoy, once and again along the drive and the north side of town. A visiting male on the last day of the year was vibrant against the white of the landscape as it enjoyed seed provided so it could get something ample to eat.

This is the overall tally of the 42 species seen at regularly visited locales associated with the Heart City during the two months.

Proper Name     Julian Date:	308	310	314	319	327	330	339	345	350	354	364
Canada Goose	55	185	445	550	250	81	185	395	650	4500	200
Cackling Goose	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	2	- -	- -	- -	- -
Trumpeter Swan	2	- -	2	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Wood Duck	- -	- -	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Gadwall	20	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Mallard	- -	- -	40	2	- -	- -	4	4	6	1	- -
Hooded Merganser	- -	- -	2	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Wild Turkey	8	8	8	11	8	8	8	8	8	8	- -
Sharp-shinned Hawk	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	- -
Bald Eagle	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	1	- -	1	- -	1	1
Red-tailed Hawk	2	1	1	1	1	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -
Rock Dove	- -	8	- -	6	30	- -	- -	2	- -	35	- -
Eurasian Collared Dove	10	6	5	11	21	6	4	8	7	32	16
Great Horned Owl	1	- -	2	1	- -	- -	2	2	2	2	- -
Belted Kingfisher	- -	1	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Red-bellied Woodpecker	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	1
Downy Woodpecker	1	- -	1	1	- -	1	1	1	- -	1	- -
Hairy Woodpecker	- -	- -	1	1	- -	2	1	1	- -	1	- -
Northern Flicker	- -	1	3	3	- -	- -	1	2	- -	- -	2
Merlin	- -	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Blue Jay	4	- -	4	3	2	1	2	2	- -	- -	2
American Crow	1	3	7	2	1	3	2	- -	5	- -	5
Cedar Waxwing	- -	4	9	- -	3	30	1	- -	- -	30	- -
Black-capped Chickadee	2	- -	4	2	3	2	2	2	4	2	3
Golden-crowned Kinglet	- -	- -	2	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	- -	2	1	2	- -	- -	1	1	- -	2
White-breasted Nuthatch	2	1	3	2	1	2	2	1	1	1	2
Brown Creeper	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	2	- -	- -	1	- -	- -
Common Starling	2	7	- -	18	23	- -	- -	- -	35	7	- -
Eastern Bluebird	- -	16	16	7	7	- -	- -	2	- -	5	- -
Townsend's Solitaire	1	- -	1	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
American Robin	65	35	18	10	65	175	25	5	20	35	225
House Sparrow	- -	10	20	10	20	15	30	25	39	- -	25
House Finch	4	6	3	4	65	65	12	3	8	28	8
American Goldfinch	2	- -	- -	- -	2	- -	- -	- -	- -	2	- -
Red-winged Blackbird	4	11	- -	- -	3	12	3	4	- -	- -	- -
Rusty Blackbird	- -	- -	- -	- -	8	9	7	- -	- -	2	4
Common Grackle	3	2	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Harris's Sparrow	2	3	3	2	2	2	1	- -	- -	- -	- -
Dark-eyed Junco	25	15	14	12	30	32	15	30	12	25	34
American Tree Sparrow	2	3	4	2	3	3	2	2	- -	- -	2
Northern Cardinal	- -	1	2	- -	2	1	1	1	- -	- -	1

The 42 species seen during November-December 2018 (273 records) compares to 35 in 2015 (172 records); 41 in 2016 (292 records); and, 37 in 2017 (176 records).

There are a few bird feeders along Lake Shore Drive so the area wildbirds certainly have some food to eat as they strive to survive snow covering the spaces where they forage, very cold temperatures and other threats to their survival. If a few birds are present when more seed is spread, within a minute or two they are right back and once again busily feed. Seeds for the birds are especially important on snowy days and what follows when the landscape is covered by inches of white. These birds have to survive as they will establish the next generation of our featured friends. Without wildbirds we would live in a boring place, since often it is the color, life and a sudden view of something never seen before that can often create a special day to share. It only requires some attention and a helpful pair of binoculars or a spotting scope.